![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/poster-fallback.png\"\/)
<\/p>\n
Back to his best, he helped guide the Warriors to an eight-point victory over the Newtown Jets, who mounted a late surge in the final ten minutes.<\/p>\n
Controlling the contest alongside halves partner Jett Cleary, Metcalf produced three try assists, one line-break assist and racked up 639 kicking metres, including a forced drop-out.<\/p>\n
The standout display has now created a dilemma for the Warriors.<\/p>\n
Head coach Andrew Webster is forced to weigh up whether to choose him or continue with their current halves pairing of Chanel Harris-Tavita or Te Maire Martin.<\/p>\n
On one hand, Metcalf\u2019s ability with the ball in his hand is impossible to ignore and he could easily turn around the club\u2019s fortunes after they suffered back-to-back defeats against the Panthers and Sharks.<\/p>\n
But, on the other hand, Webster may opt to keep faith in his current spine combinations, as those losses could have easily been turned into wins with simple fixes and Metcalf will depart at the season\u2019s end to join the St George Illawarra Dragons.<\/p>\n
Luke Metcalf.Source: SuppliedSHOULD THE RAIDERS MAKE A HALVES SWITCH<\/p>\n
The Canberra Raiders have lost four of their last five matches, so should Ricky Stuart pull the trigger and make a switch to his halves?<\/p>\n
While Ethan Sanders hasn\u2019t been poor in first-grade this season, former Bronco Coby Black has been booming in reserve-grade, staking a claim for an NRL call-up.<\/p>\n
Stringing together a number of eye-catching performances in the lower grades, Black has once again starred for the Raiders over the weekend against the Parramatta Eels.<\/p>\n
Showcasing his sharp game management skills, the two-time Under-19s Queensland Maroons representative ran rampant for the Green Machine by scoring two tries, making two line-breaks and providing two try assists.<\/p>\n
He also had 339 kicking metres with the boot in a dominant display that underlined his growing influence in the halves.<\/p>\n
This breakout showing adds further pressure on coach Ricky Stuart, who is looking to get his side back into the winning column and may need to shake up his spine.<\/p>\n
Black, a teen prodigy who was touted as Adam Reynolds\u2019 successor, joined the Raiders from the Broncos ahead of this season. It followed the Broncos high-profile signing of Jonah Pezet from the Storm. He made headline in 2024 when he recorded a staggering 46-point haul for Burleigh in the Mal Meninga Cup.<\/p>\n
Coby Black.Source: SuppliedTIGERS YOUNG GUNS STAR<\/p>\n
The Western Suburbs Magpies – the Tigers\u2019 reserve grade side – have produced one of the most dominant performances of the 2026 NSW Cup season, defeating the Sydney Roosters 68-8.<\/p>\n
In a blistering attacking display, Heath Mason scored 32 (four tries and eight conversions) points by himself, while outside backs Fiohiva Siale Fainga\u2019a and Brenden Naicori both crossed for doubles.<\/p>\n
Away from the scoreboard, nine players ran for over 100 metres, including axed dummy-half Tristan Hope and Peter Taateo, who returned to the club after a short stint with the Newtown Jets.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, former Under-19s State of Origin man-of-the-match Javon Andrews provided three try assists and three line-break assists as he pushes as another option in the club\u2019s long-term halves plan.<\/p>\n
Heath Mason.Source: News Corp AustraliaBATEMAN RETURNS AS BARBER FIRES<\/p>\n
North Queensland Cowboys back-rower John Bateman returned to the field over the weekend after undergoing surgery for a hand injury and completing therapy for a wrist issue.<\/p>\n
In his first match of the season, the English international spent 51 minutes on the field and accumulated 110 running metres from 13 carries and 27 tackles for the Townsville Blackhawks.<\/p>\n
Bateman is currently in the midst of fighting for his future as he remains uncontracted next year and is likely to remain at the Cowboys, having failed to live up to his potential since arriving at the club from the Wests Tigers.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Cowboys teammate Mason Barber crossed over the line for two tries, made three line-breaks and had over 180 running metres for the Mackay Cutters in their one-point victory over the Souths Logan Magpies.<\/p>\n
A former Australian Schoolboys fullback, Barber will depart Townsville at the end of the season to join the Perth Bears on a three-year contract.<\/p>\n
Mason Barber.Source: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Star playmaker Luke Metcalf has forced the New Zealand Warriors into an interesting selection headache after a scintillating…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":739324,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[64,63,761,762,158,85],"class_list":["post-739323","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nrl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-national-rugby-league","tag-nationalrugbyleague","tag-nrl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/739323","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=739323"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/739323\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/739324"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=739323"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=739323"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=739323"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}